Pahrump Valley Winery

If you've read my blog on Symphony's Restaurant, then you'll know that the restaurant is located inside a winery in Pahrump, Nevada. Who would have known a winery exists in the desert!? Well, I for one did not! However, its a nice and small winery for those who just wants to try out some free wine!

First off, this winery does grow its own grapes, but they have yet to create wine with them. During the tour, the guide even admits that most of their grapes comes from California and Oregon. So why go here??? Well, mainly for the restaurant (please see Symphony's at Pahrump, NV). But, I do have to say they let you sample basically EVERY wine on their list (except for the ones they're sold out on). They do have a heavy hand while pouring you a sample (trust me, I got a bit tipsy afterwards).

Regarding wines: the best red wine I had there was the Cabernet Sauvignon 2005. Granted, if you know me, my favorite wine is the cab, but this was a good wine with hints of raspberry and currant. Another good red wine there was the Syrah 2005. I liked it because you can taste the blackberry, blueberry, and chocolate - especially after you drink it. The aroma stays in your mouth. Its also their most expensive red wine there (actually, the most expensive wine on the list period).

My favorite there was their Creme Sherry- its a port that you MUST sip on. Its not a port that one can "gulp" down because its super rich and filled with flavor. This port tastes like buttered walnut and its been aged for 4 years. I almost bought a few bottles of this home to give away (well, really to consume on my own, but it would make a nice gift).

Regarding the dry white wine, they only had one that I sampled and I wasn't impressed. It was their Chardonnay 2007.

With their sweet & fruity wines, I was not impressed with their Riesling 2008. It was not sweet like the other rieslings I had and I would not buy their riesling for my friends. However, their Desert Blush was delicious. It had hints of peach and apple in it. I'm usually not a huge blush wine person, but I didn't say "no" to a refill of this one!

So if you're new to wine, going out to a winery might help you figure out which type of wine you'll enjoy. If you're out in Nevada and can spare a good 30-40 minutes, you should come out to this winery maybe not for their wine, but more for their restaurant: Symphony's.